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By Alia Shoaib
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The Trump administration is seeking to scrap a decades-old radiation safety principle that requires companies and institutions using radioactive materials to keep radiation exposure as low as reasonably possible, even when it is already below legal safety limits.
The proposed change by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was published in the Federal Register on July 15. It would replace the long-standing "As Low As Reasonably Achievable" (ALARA) principle with a "graded approach," which the NRC says reduces ambiguity.
The NRC says the changes could allow companies building smaller reactors to act quicker, without changing the standards for exposure to workers or the public, while critics question whether removing ALARA could raise permissible doses in certain cases.
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The proposal is open for public comment until August 31.
Newsweek has emailed the NRC and the White House for comment
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What is ALARA?
ALARA is a radiation protection principle that has guided U.S. regulations for more than 50 years.
It requires facilities such as nuclear power plants, hospitals, universities and research institutions that use radioactive materials not only to stay below legal radiation exposure limits, but also to reduce exposure as much as is reasonably practical, taking into account factors such as cost, technology and operational needs.
The principle is based on the idea that even low levels of radiation exposure may carry some risk, meaning unnecessary exposure should be avoided where possible.
Higher levels of ionizing radiation exposure are known to increase the risk of cancer and other health effects.
Why Is This Happening?
The proposal is part of the Trump administration's wider push to expand nuclear power in the United States.
In May 2025, Trump signed a series of executive orders related to nuclear energy, including one directing the NRC to reform its regulations and adopt what the administration called "science-based radiation limits."
The NRC argues ALARA has become overly subjective and can lead to unnecessary costs and regulatory burdens. It says replacing the principle with a "graded approach" based on radiation risk would provide greater clarity while maintaining existing dose limits for workers and the public.
NRC Chairman Ho Nieh told reporters that the proposal is intended to remove ambiguity rather than weaken safety standards.
"We’re just removing the ambiguity," Nieh said. "But the standard for exposure to workers and the public, those are not changing. We’re just putting in place greater clarification."
Who Is Impacted?
The proposed rule would affect facilities regulated by the NRC that use radioactive materials.
Nieh said in his call with reporters that he does not expect major changes for large, traditional reactors.
Instead, he said that this could help companies building new, smaller reactors who could benefit from a clearer regulatory framework as the U.S. seeks to expand nuclear energy production.
The proposal would not change legal radiation exposure limits for workers or the public. Instead, the NRC would change how facilities are required to manage exposure below those limits.
Radiation exposure to members of the public from NRC-regulated activities is limited to 100 millirem per year, while adult radiation workers are subject to a higher annual limit of 5,000 millirem.
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Why Are Some Experts Concerned?
Some experts have raised concerns that the proposal could allow higher radiation exposures in some circumstances, even while still remaining within existing legal limits.
Edwin Lyman, the director of nuclear power safety at the nonprofit Union of Concerned Scientists, argued in a statement that removing ALARA could result in nuclear facility workers and members of the public being exposed to higher levels of radiation than under the current framework.
"In eliminating its use of the ALARA principle, the agency's sweeping new proposed rule would allow nuclear facility workers and the general public to be exposed to higher levels of cancer-causing radiation just to save the nuclear industry money," Lyman said. "Cancer rates are already rising among younger people, and this change can only increase the risk."
Lyman said that he believed the NRC should improve, rather than eliminate, ALARA, and noted that the existing principle does allow trade-offs and does not expect radiation exposures to be as low as possible regardless of cost or practicality.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: John Fitzpatrick and Tony Phillips
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